Other Options
by crooked-little-smile
Summary: Hermione does what she has to to protect the ones she loves. Draco X Hermione. Set during the war at Hogwarts.


This is my first harry Potter fanfic and I hope you enjoy it. All recognizable characters belong to their respective creators, none of which are me.

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Hermione had been planning this for months. She knew that Harry would have to sacrifice himself to kill the last part of Voldemorts soul.

She knows that he would too.

But Hermione could not let him. Harry had to be the one to kill Voldemort and he couldn't do that if he was already dead. If Harry sacrificed himself Voldemort would win. He would kill Draco for not obeying him. I couldn't let that happen because I still loved Draco.

Draco had been secretly dating for almost two years before he broke it off to protect me. Now it was my turn to protect him.

"Ginny I know you love Harry." I said to her in the room of requirements. The battle was nearing and everyone could feel it in the air. "I need you to help me protect him. He needs to live!" I was begging now.

Ginny still didn't look like she was convinced.

"Ginny, if you don't help me Harry will die a pointless death and Voldemort will win. He will kill your entire family for being blood traitors and everyone else. You have to help me!"

"Okay." Ginny said quietly.

I sighed and closed my eyes.

"I need a soul-switching potion. I need a soul-switching potion. I need a soul-switching potion." I whispered and two slightly steaming goblets appeared on the table just as Harry came in.

"Harry." Ginny said picking up one of the cups. "Take this. It'll give you more energy. You've been up almost two days and you need your strength."

He took the goblet with out a comment and drank the entire thing. I drank mine at the same time.

"Voldemort is waiting for me in the Dark Forest so I'm going to go end this and you…" That was all he got out before I hit him with a silent stunning spell.

I whispered that I needed a poly-juice potion three times and one appeared and I took some of Harry's hair and drank the potion.

Unlike the potion I had made in first year this one wouldn't wear off until I had another potion.

I magically altered my clothing to look like Harry's and conjured up some glasses.

"I love you Ginny." I said hugging her. "Just remember that Harry can't be seen until the last minute, okay?"

She nodded tearfully and I put on the invisibility cloak Draco had left in my room before leaving me. I inhaled Draco's scent and smiled.

"Hermione?" Ginny said and I took the hood off so she could see me. "You are my best friend." She said.

"You too." I said.

I put my hood up and disappeared into the school. I made it to the edge of the forest. I took a deep breath and lowered my hood.

The walk to the clearing where Voldemort was waiting was quiet and altogether unremarkable.

"Well if it isn't Harry Potter." Voldemort's snake like voice made me shiver. "I was really actually hoping you would not show up."

"I'm not going to let you kill anymore people." I said. It was something Harry would say.

I could feel my wand but I knew I couldn't reach for it. I looked around to see several familiar faces. Bellatrix, Lucius, Dolohov, Goyle, Crabbe.

"Avada Kedavra!" I heard Voldemort shout. I saw the bright green light. I felt myself hit the ground.

When I opened my eyes I could see Dumbledore sitting in a chair with a small smile on his face.

"Well Hermione," He said and I looked down to see that I was still in Harry's body. "I must admit that you are not the one I expected."

"Professor?" I asked standing up.

"Please, call me Albus. Can you explain to me how you are here?"

I took a seat next to him.

"Draco Malfoy and I secretly started dating during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. We thought that someone would figure it out sooner or later. But Harry and Ron were distracted with all the challenges. We kept it going and eventually we fell in love.

"Things started getting a little difficult when Draco's father started pushing him towards getting his Dark Mark. When things got too dangerous he broke up with me. For the last several months I've been finding the remaining Horcrux's with Harry and Ron."

"Did you find them?" He asked.

"Well we already know about the book, and the ring. There was the locket that Regilus Black had taken with the help of Kreacher. The cup and the tiara were next. Neville Longbottom killed Nagini, the snake that Voldemort keeps with him. I took a soul-switching potion to switch Harry and I's souls. Which means that the piece of Voldemorts soul that had attached to Harry's is gone now. The only piece now is Voldemort himself."

"Why did you switch places with Harry?" He asked quietly.

I looked down at my hands.

"I didn't know if Harry would survive when Voldemort killed the Horcrux. I couldn't leave something like that to chance. To fate. I couldn't. I had to make sure that he survived. He has to kill Voldemort.

"And I heard one of the Death Eaters talking when we were in Malfoy Manor. He said that when the war was over Voldemort was going to kill all the Malfoys to punish Draco for not killing you when he had the chance.

"I won't let Voldemort touch Draco if I can stop him."

Dumbledore looked at me quizzically for a second.

"You sacrificed yourself to save Mr. Malfoy?" He asked.

"No. I did it so he couldn't hurt anyone ever again. Too many people have lost their lives because of this war. When Harry kills Voldemort it will finally be over." I said.

"Miss Granger, when Voldemort went to kill Lily and James Potter, Lily gave her life to protect her son. When she did this, she was thinking only of her son. Henceforth, Voldemort has never been able to lay a hand, or kill Harry. Can you guess why?"

"Magic." I said. "It must have created some sort of magical protection."

"Exactly!" He said happily. "This is the same, and different at the same time. You were not thinking about just one person when you sacrificed yourself. You were thinking of protecting everyone. You created the same magical protection that Lily Potter did that fateful night except on a much grander scale."

I thought about that for awhile.

"Albus, why haven't you come to help us?" I asked.

"What makes you think that I am still alive?" He asked. "I am an old man, Miss Granger."

"You've spent the last part of this century trying to stop Voldemort. I don't think you'd die this close to the end. You'd see it through to the end."

He laughed. Suddenly several people appeared around us and I looked at them in shock. Alastor Moody, Tonks and her parents, Remus Lupin, George Weasley, Severus Snape, Lily and James Potter, Nevilles parents, Sirius Black. They were all around me.

"Miss Granger, you have gone beyond what you have ever had to do to help Harry Potter." Albus said. "If you had let him make his sacrifice he still would have one the war. Harry highly believed that he would come back just in time to save the day, just like he always has.

"But you, you sacrificed yourself believing that you would die to save everyone else. That is a sacrifice no one would have ever asked you to make and you did it on your own. I believe that not only will your sacrifice protect everyone, it has also brought back the order members that have sacrificed themselves to protect others as well."

They were all dressed in blue robes and cloaks. I laughed when I looked at Professor Snape.

"Professor, blue really isn't your color." I said quietly.

"Ten points from Gryfindor for being sarcastic at a time like this." He said but he was smiling. "They aren't just for style you know." He added and they turned them so that the invisibility was revealed.

"We have to let Harry win this battle with out any help so we'll be invisible until its over and the poly-juice effects wear off." Lily Potter said.

"You should be very proud of your son." I said quietly.

"I am."

I woke up in the arms of Hagrid, carrying me onto the lawn in front of the castle. His Death Eaters were standing in battle lines.

"Harry Potter is dead!" He shouted in a magnified voice. "He was killed while trying to escape."

"Harry!"

"HARRY!"

So much pain in those voices.

I couldn't move yet. I had to stay still until Voldemort was dead.

"Set him at my feet." Voldemort said and Hagrid was forced to. "Now you can all see that Harry Potter was never better than me!"

"He's always been better than you!" I heard Neville shout. Several affirmative cheers sounded.

"SILENCE!"

Silence fell.

"Bow to me and I will let you live!" Voldemort said. "Join me and you will not regret it."

"We'll never surrender!" Dean Thomas shouted and the silencing spell was broken.

I opened my eyes just a bit and watched as the battle raged at Hogwarts. It kept raging until…

"TOM RIDDLE!" Harry's voice was not magically magnified but still it held more weight that Voldemort's had. Everyone went silent and stared as Harry and Voldemort stood on the center.

"I killed you!" Voldemort shouted and looked over at me. I can imagine what he saw. Harry Potter lying on the ground lifelessly. He looked back at the real Harry.

"You only thought you killed me." Harry said. He took a vial out of his pocket and threw it at me. It shattered and the smoke from it hit me. I felt myself changing back into myself and several people shouted my name. I did hear Draco's voice in the mix although I don't think anyone else had.

"That's that Granger girl." Voldemort said outraged.

"That," Harry said with a thick voice. "That was the smartest witch of the age. Probably the smartest witch in existence. She's figured everything out when no one else could. With out her I wouldn't have been able to defeat you when you were after the Sorcerer's Stone.

"She's the one that realized it was a basilisk petrifying all the students second year. She taught me the spell that helped me escape you when you killed Cedric Diggory. She's the one who helped figure out how to get into the Ministry of Magic when you killed Sirius Black. And she's the one who figured out how to kill you."

"You'll never kill me." Voldemort said. "I'll always come back."

"Not this time, Tom." Harry said.

"You DARE-"

"Yes, I dare." Harry said. "Because this time you won't come back. You think you're so smart." Now Harry was taunting him. "If you're so bloody brilliant you would have hid your Horcrux's better."

"My dear boy, I made more than one." Now Voldemort was bragging.

"I know." Harry said. "You had the book, that I destroyed with basilisk venom in second year. Your fathers ring that Dumbledore destroyed. The locket that Regilus Black stole with the help of his families' house elf, Kreacher that Ron Weasley killed with Godric Gryfindors sword. Did you know that it absorbs substances that will make it stronger?"

"That is only three." Voldemort snarled.

"I'm not finished." Harry said as if he were reprimanding a child. "Then there was the cup that we stole from Gringotts. It was destroyed by Hermione with a basilisk fang." I could see Voldemort starting to look shocked. Harry smirked. "The lost diadem of Ravenclaw, that we found in the Room of Requirement, destroyed by Goyle using fiend fire. Nearly killed Draco Malfoy, Ron, me and Blaise Zabini."

"Then we have the snake that Neville Longbottom killed with the sword. And finally, you killed the last one when you killed Hermione."

His voice was back to being thick.

"That filthy mudblood was not a horcrux!" Voldemort shouted gleefully.

"But I was." Harry said. "When you killed my Mum and Dad a piece of your soul attached to mine. Before Hermione went into the forest she tricked me into using a soul-switching potion. I have her soul. She has mine and when you killed her you killed that last piece."

"NO!" Voldemort screamed. "You are still not better than me! You still cannot defeat me!"

"I can and I will." Harry said confidently. "Would you like to know how?"

"Oh, please dear boy. Enlighten me."

"When my mother sacrificed herself for me I was protected from you. Hermione sacrificed herself for everyone. So that you could never hurt another person again. Everyone here is protected from you. You can't hurt them. You can't kill them. You can't even cast a silencing charm on them."

Whispers ran through the hall.

"Which means that it's just you and me. 'Neither can live while the other survives'"

They were both holding their wands.

"Now all we need to know is if that wand you're holding knows that I am its master and not you."

"What are you on about now, you stupid boy?" Voldemort shouted. "I took this want directly from Dumbledores cold fingers."

"Yes, but when Draco Malfoy disarmed him that night in the tower the wand recognized him as its new master."

"Then when I'm done killing you I'll kill him."

My pulse skyrocketed and I fought to stay still. I couldn't move yet.

"But I disarmed Draco. So I'm the wands true master right now. And its finally time for you to die."

There was a long silence; they were each waiting to see who would make the first move.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

A blinding light went through the area and when it faded Harry was picking up the white wand and Voldemort was lying on the ground, finally dead.

Shocked gasps sounded when everyone saw the members of the Order holding the Death Eaters at wand point.

"Thought you got rid of me?" Sirius asked Bellatrix.

"Hermione!" I was so tired that the voice sounded far off. "Let me go!"

Draco was being held back by a few of the seventh years. I blinked my eyes and watched him push past them and run for me.

"Draco!" Both his parents shouted for him but they were at wand point and stayed where they were.

Draco dropped to his knees and pulled me to his chest.

"Please Mia, wake up." He whispered.

"Get away from her, Malfoy!" Harry shouted. My limbs felt like lead.

"She needs the soul-switching potion!" Ginny shouted. She handed one of the goblets to Harry and Draco took the other. He tilted my chin up and poured the potion down my throat. When I was done I jerked in a deep breath and clutched Draco.

"Release, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy." Dumbledore said and the wands were lowered.

"Draco, what is the meaning of this?" Lucius asked storming over and dragging Draco up by his cloak.

"Let go of him!" I shouted and tried to stand up, but fell to the side. Draco jerked out of his father's grip and caught me.

"What the hell is going on?" Ron shouted.

"I love him." I whispered.

"Hermione he's a Death Eater. He can't feel love." Harry argued. The hooded order members were watching.

I struggled to sit up then pushed up Draco's sleeve. On his forearm was the Dark Mark.

"My wand." I said quietly. Draco took it out of my pocket and handed it to me.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked.

"Do you trust me?"

"With everything." He said. I pressed the tip of my wand to the tattoo.

"Recanto Macula." I said and the ink bled from his skin and was absorbed into my wand.

"H-how'd you do that?" Draco asked brushing hair gently off of my face. I turned my head and pressed a kiss to the now pale unmarred flesh.

"I created that spell using the must basic Latin translations. It means 'take back the mark.'" I whispered.

"Why are you hugging the bloody ferret?" Ron shouted. His mother, who was behind him, hit him upside the head.

"Draco, get up." Lucius spat. "We're going home."

"You're going to Azkaban." Harry shouted at him.

"No!" I said. "They were being blackmailed. Voldemort was playing them against each other. He told them that if they didn't do what he said that he would kill Draco. And if Draco didn't he would kill his parents."

"Draco, lets just go home!" His mother said. Slowly I stood up.

"I'm not going anywhere with out Mia." He said helping me to my feet. I saw the pained expressions on his father and mothers face. I was tearing their family apart. I couldn't do that.

I slowly took off the cloak and handed it to Draco. He looked at me with confused eyes.

"I think you should go with your parents." I said.

"Mia, we can be together now." He said touching me cheek. I turned my head away and closed my eyes. "Mia?"

"I want you to go." I said. "Be with your parents. Go back to your life before all of this happened."

He stared at me with hurt in his eyes and took a step away from me. His father put a hand on his shoulder. They apperated away and I turned to see everyone staring at me.

I looked over to see Remus, Sirius and James and Lily all staring there and tears filled my eyes.

"Harry." I whispered and he slowly turned to see. With out a word he walked into their arms and hugged them. Tonks joined the hug as well.

Neville and his parents were also hugging.

It seemed that my sacrifice made everyone happy.

Except me.

I wanted nothing more to be in Draco's arms but his parents still believed that Purebloods were the only thing that mattered and I was not. I could not rip apart his family.

I turned away and started helping with the bodies of loved ones. We lined them up in the great hall where they would wait until we had funerals. When we had checked the castle twice and were sure there were no more bodies most people decided to find a place to sleep. There were hundreds of tents on the grounds of Hogwarts. No one was sleeping inside.

I saw several lights were still on in the tents as I walked through the abandoned halls. I found what was one the library and summoned a book filled with spells on repairing things.

Then I got started. I started fixing bookshelves and chairs and tables. Things that were too destroyed to fix were piled in the center of the room.

I had to conjure things as well but it was fairly easy to do. In two hours I had the library back in order. Most of the books were lost and destroyed but the rest were neatly stacked on shelves.

I went through hallways and staircases and started cleaning up all of the debris. I found all of the statues and looked through the book. The book had obviously been from the restricted section but it was moderately easy to fix the statues and bring them to life. I had them helping in no time at all.

Then I went around to the outside of the school and moved to the side where no one in the tents could see me.

Fixing the walls of Hogwarts was difficult. I had to do several different spells and it took a long time. By the time I was done with one wall everyone had gone to sleep and all the lights were out. I started working on the front of the school. I had found at least twenty wands and would somehow find the owners.

When the sun came up several people, including most of the order came out of their tents. When they saw the castle they gasped in shock. It was nowhere near finished but it was an improvement.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Hermione." Sirius said with a hand on my shoulder.

"I don't want to sleep." I said.

They saw my determination and started helping. The teachers woke up and started going through the castle to help repair classrooms. I could see the shock on their faces when they saw the statues up and moving when they had been destroyed not hours ago.

"Miss Granger, did you?" Professor Magonagal asked with tears in her eyes. I nodded.

"I found the books with spells on how to fix things and I also found that spell. I thought they could help." I said quietly. Then I walked out to the edge of the forest and took a deep breath before pointing my wand at the trees.

"Repleo." Was all I said. I watched at the broken and burnt trees started growing at an excelerated speed and twenty minutes later the forest was teeming with life again.

I don't know how but I kept working for several more hours and almost everyone joined in fixing the school. As the sun was setting everyone stood up and looked at the repaired school.

The teachers and Order members started magically protecting the school and I walked over to Moody.

"Do you have a knife?" I asked him.

"You're not going to off yourself are you?" He asked suspiciously. I shook my head and he pulled out a long sharp knife. "Its charmed to never get dull." He said.

I walked over to the giant door and started at one end of the arching stones. I painstakingly carved a very old, very powerful rune into every stone on the doorway.

"Miss Granger, where did you learn that rune?" The runes teacher asked me.

"I dreamed it while we were searching for the Horcrux's." I said.

I put the knife tip to my fingertip and sliced the skin until blood welled. Then I pressed my finger to one of the runes. When I stepped back the knife was taken from my hand and each of the order members and teachers did the same. When Moody blooded the last rune an electric blue shield enveloped the school and then dissolved.

"What was that?" Fred asked sucking on his finger.

"It's a protection rune that has been lost for millennia." The runes teacher said. "You cannot break this kind of magic. It completely protects the school from any attack. If we were attacked we could live in that castle for an infinite amount of time because that rune can produce anything the occupants need to survive."

Everyone was staring at me again.

"Where did you find it?" Dumbledore asked.

"I dreamed it." I told him. He looked thoughtful for a moment. I honestly was not able to deal with anymore right now so I simply turned and walked towards the lake.

I lay on the grassy slope that looked over the entire lake and closed my eyes, falling in to blessed sleep.

I felt well rested but still tired when I woke up. The sky was dark with clouds but I figured it was around mid-morning.

When I walked into the Great Hall I saw that the families had conjured coffins for the dead. There would be a cemetery added to the grounds for all those who had fallen in battle.

When students who had returned to the castle after the battle saw me hushed whispers started. I lowered my head and went up to an empty Gryfindor tower and showered. Then I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair went almost to my waist and was streaked from the sun. I trimmed my bangs so they weren't in my eyes so much and put my hair in a french braid.

Today was a day of peace so I conjured up a white sundress and sandals. When I got downstairs everyone was wearing some sort of white.

When I saw Harry standing with his parents I smiled and he hugged me.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

"Tired." I said.

"You've been sleeping almost three days!" Ron said coming up behind me.

We all laughed.

"Well, how does it feel?" I asked them.

"How does what feel?" They replied.

"The last time we'll ever have to save the world." I said. "Voldemort is gone. The Death Eaters are in Azkaban. You have your family back. How does it feel now that you don't have to constantly look over your shoulder?"

Everyone who had been listening, which had been a lot of people, laughed.

"It feels good." Harry said.

"Real good." Said Ron.

"What do we do now?" I asked.

"Actually," Dumbledore said cheerfully. "I have an idea for you Miss Granger. How would you like to become the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?"

I gaped at him.

"But I thought that was Professor Snape's class." I said.

"I have come to realize that I prefer the relm of potions." Snape said with a tiny woman in his arms.

"B-but I'm only seventeen!" I said. "I haven't even finished my seventh year!"

"You always have been ahead on your classes." Dumbledore said. "And I have talked to all of your teachers. After the amazing things you did to help Harry and Ron and restore the school you have far surpassed anything we could teach you in a class room."

I looked around at my friends.

"With all due respect, Sir." I said turning back to him. "I'd like to finish my last year with my friends and take the N.E.W.T.S. If the position is still open when I graduate I'd be glad to teach."

The older man smiled at me.

"You are by far the most brilliant witch of the age." He said.

"What if the position isn't open? Ron asked.

"Seriously Ron." Harry said. "We have never had a DADA teacher last more than a year. This year will be no different and Hermione will be the first."

"Right." Ron said.

Three hours later, Dumbledore was holding an official awards ceremony.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, all the Weasleys, and all the order members were awarded Orders of Merlin, First Class awards.

"I would also like to award Draco Lucius Malfoy with the Order of Merlin, First Class for outstanding bravery." Dumbledore said. "Severus Snape will be accepting the award on his behalf."

When the awards part was over Remus walked on stage with a handful of blue cloaks.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville and I were all formally inducted into the Order of the Phoenix.

When Harry Ron and I were standing at the edge of the Black Lake Harry spoke.

"Hermione, why did you tell Malfoy to go with his parents? I mean, I could see how much you love him and how much he loves you."

I fingered the edge of my cloak.

"He just got his family back." I whispered. "His entire life was practically dependent on what Voldemort ordered. His mom and dad never got to show him how much they loved him because they were afraid that there was always someone watching.

"I couldn't tear his family apart just because I love him. He needs to have his parents in his life and I would never forgive myself if I stopped that from happening."

There was silence for a second and then a voice cleared behind me. I whirled around to see Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy standing there.

"Oh," I started to say.

"Please, let me speak." Lucius said holding up his hand. I nodded. "After we left Draco and I got into an argument. He was angry because we couldn't get over our Pureblood ways and accept you into his life. We fought for a while when he taught us something that you taught him. That we all bleed the same color. And that we owe our lives to you."

"I want to apologize to you for our actions." Narcissa Malfoy said. "I'm ashamed to admit that we acted that way and I hope that you can forgive us one day."

"Give my your arms." I said quietly. They held out their arms and I removed the Dark Marks from them. "I do forgive you." I said.

They nodded and walked away. They moved about twenty feet away to where Draco was standing on a hill, with a blue cloak over his shoulder. He was looking at me with unreadable eyes as his father touched his shoulder, said something, then walked back to the crowd.

"We can accept Malfoy into your life, you know." Ron said, leaning against a tree. "You love him and that's enough for us."

With that I ran to Draco. He opened his arms to me and held me tight even when he fell to the ground.

"I love you." I said into his neck.

"I know." He said. "Promise me you won't do that to me ever again." He demanded rolling so that he was sitting above me and I was lying on the grass.

"I promise." I said. "I'm not strong enough to let you go again. I did t one and I almost didn't survive."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small green velvet box.

"Will you marry me, Mia?" he asked in a near whisper, opening the tiny box to reveal a ring that was so beautiful that my eyes filled with tears.

"Yes."

He slid the ring onto my finger and kissed me. Then he lay down beside me and held my hand.

"I've been going crazy with out you." He said. "When I saw you on the ground, not moving, I was more scared than I have ever been in my life."

"I'm here now." I said. "I'm not going anywhere."

"I heard Dumbledore offered you a job." He said rubbing his thumb over the ring on my finger.

"I want to finish my last year at Hogwarts before I take the job, but yes he did offer."

"Are you going to take the job?" He asked. I looked up at him.

"I want to." I said and he smiled.

"Good, because I was also offered a job teaching." He said. "Apparently Professor Magonagal has decided to retire after next year and Dumbledore needs a transfiguration teacher."

"Are you going to take the job?" I asked excitedly leaning over him. He nodded and pulled me down for a kiss.

"I will also hear that Dumbledore will be retiring to the board of directors at the school and he asked me to be the Headmaster, which, if you're good, might just make you the Deputy Headmistress." He teased me.

I blushed and we got to our feet. We were holding hands as we walked back to the castle and people were shocked to see us together.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, Neville and Blaise joined us.

"Were going to be starting our final year at Hogwarts in a few short weeks." I said. "It's going to be hard."

"Mia it can't be more difficult than saving the world." Draco said. "How would you like to spend the summer Future-Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Well first things first!" Sirius shouted. "An engagement party!"


End file.
